Seth Grove: House addresses school funding issues, needs Senates help (column) By Rep. Seth Grove Updated: 07/14/2014 12:11:48 PM EDT# Comments Dear Digital First Media Pennsylvania Editorial Board, I recently read your editorial titled State budget fiddling hurts schools and wanted to update you on what the now enacted 2014-15 budget does to help school districts across this commonwealth. Total PreK-12 education state spending in 2008-2009 was $9.6 billion (Rendell). Total PreK-12 education state spending in 2009-2010 was $9.2 billion (Rendell). Total PreK-12 education state spending in 2010-2011 was $8.9 billion (Rendell). Total PreK-12 education state spending in 2011-2012 was $9.4 billion (Corbett). Total PreK-12 education state spending in 2012-2013 was $9.7 billion (Corbett). Total PreK-12 education state spending in 2013-2014 was $9.97 billion (Corbett). Total PreK-12 education state spending in 2014-2015 is $10.6 billion (Corbett). In the 2014-15 budget we provided an increase of $100 million in flexible block grants to school districts, $20 million increase for the first time since 2007 in special education funding, and a $10 million increase to PlanCon. Here is what the school finance gurus had to say: The PA Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) commends the efforts to provide new school district funding contained in the state budget bill sent to the Governor yesterday. The association believes the new state dollars in the Ready to Learn Block Grant are vital to stem further cuts to instructional programs. PASBO applauds the increased state support of Special Education and school construction reimbursement (Plan Con) as important breakthroughs for line items that had been frozen for six and four years respectively. Along with this funding, we again covered 55 percent of the increasing pension costs for our school districts, which is now over $1 billion. In a 1.8 percent increase budget over last fiscal year, we provided education a 3.1 percent increase or 62 percent of all new spending in the budget. Next year, we are looking at a total increase of over $1 billion to our state budget due to pension increases. I support the General Assembly returning to session and tackling this budget-killing line item by a real, systematic reform, not a political talking point reform. You cant talk about school funding without talking about property taxes. Philadelphia is requesting a $2-per-pack cigarette tax increase so they do not have to raise their local property taxes. On Oct. 2, 2013, House Bill 1189 was passed by a vote of 149-46 and sent to the Senate. HB 1189 would provide local taxing options for every other school district in Pennsylvania so they do not need to raise property taxes. By not including HB 1189 into the mix, the Senate has done a great disservice to Pennsylvania homeowners and left them out in the cold once again on substantial school property tax reform. I just do not understand why the Senate ignored 99 percent of the commonwealth when it sent over a local option tax for the Philadelphia School District only. Furthermore, with the passage of the 2014-15 budget, we adopted a new special education funding formula and fixed the cyber charter double dip. As with the process for the special education funding formula, we will be establishing a Basic Education Funding Commission to establish a new formula. The House has led on many education reforms: overhauling the archaic PlanCon program (HB 2124), sweeping charter reform (HB 618), and providing more transparency through School Watch (HB 1411) to name a few, but we need the Senate to help us get them over the goal line. In conclusion, I feel the House has addressed most, if not all, requests the Digital Media Editorial Board has discussed in this editorial and previous ones. I look forward to working with my House and Senate colleagues, along with Gov. Tom Corbett, to finish the job and as our state Constitution requires, provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth. Seth Grove is a Republican state representative from Dover Township. ydr/letters/ci_26145374/seth-grove-house-addresses-school-funding-issues-needs
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 18:00:02 +0000
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